| Joanne Cole |
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect Pineland Farms’ recent listing of 127 acres for sale in New Gloucester.
The board had a full agenda for their February 3 meeting, but it was public comment and discussion about Fire Rescue staffing, along with news of possible sale of Pineland Farms property that generated significant interest.
The board also heard updates and discussed next steps on the Fairgrounds bathroom project and Transfer Station building.
Fire Rescue staffing, United Ambulance. Extended conversation about Fire Rescue and United Ambulance at this meeting stemmed from the board’s discussion last month about whether to keep the old ambulance as a back-up. Interim Chief Hale Fitzgerald told the board then that selling the old unit would fetch only about $10,000. Keeping it as a spare would not require additional staffing, he said, and could provide coverage in the event of multiple calls or when the new ambulance is being serviced.
Vice Chair Stephen Hathorne questioned whether two ambulances could in fact be run without more staffing. He said, “My phone blew up today” with calls from unnamed residents objecting to keeping the second ambulance. “A couple of the conversations I had today, they want to know what it would cost to have United Ambulance staff our ambulance.”
A contract could require United “to have per diems in our house,” Hathorne continued, and would ensure coverage and “get more guarantees out of the staff.”
Discussion followed, concluding when Chair Dustin Ward wanted the question of costs of contracting with United put on a future agenda. The item, exploring a proposal “for contracting with Gray or United for 24/7 coverage of Fire and Rescue services,” thus appeared on the February 3 agenda at Ward and Hathorne’s behest.
Fire Rescue members immediately made clear at the February 3 meeting that the department took the idea of outsourcing staffing to United Ambulance or Gray personally. “To have this on the agenda this evening and up for discussion, replacing the EMS providers we have now with United or Gray, is beyond my comprehension because I just don’t know where this came from,” said resident Mary Rich, Deputy Chief of EMS. “I have not heard anything ill about any of our providers.”
Rich spoke with emotion and pride about the “incredible providers” in the department. “As EMS providers we see things that humans should never have to see.” She praised the members for their compassion and professionalism. All had watched the board’s January 6 meeting, and a couple were considering leaving the department as a result, Rich said.
Another NGFR member, resident Michael Linteau, followed Rich. “I don’t know where this is coming from either,” Linteau said. “I think we’ve provided quite an exceptional service.” As for United as an alternative provider, Linteau said he’d worked for and alongside United. “They have a hard time managing their own calls.”
According to a colleague at United, the ballpark cost would be $1 million a year for EMS only, more than the current operating budget for NGFR’s combined EMS and fire service, Linteau said. In addition, New Gloucester would lose the revenues from ambulance transports, currently between $180,000 and $200,000, he noted. Linteau also thought United would not provide a paramedic or use the town’s ambulance.
When it was the board’s turn, Chair Dustin Ward explained that he had supported looking into United “to understand what are other options.” He apologized if it had seemed about getting rid of staff. “I personally didn’t see it as getting rid of staff. It was actually to understand what are our options cost-wise,” Ward said.
Vice Chair Stephen Hathorne said that he considers researching costs and alternatives a matter of his due diligence as a board member. He thought the idea of contracting out for Fire Rescue services will “definitely come up” at town meeting, as it has in the past, and he wanted to be ready. “I will say that I’m sorry if I have caused any heartache to any of you for any reason. That was certainly not the intent,” he said, addressing the Fire Rescue members in the Meetinghouse.
Ward reiterated, “We absolutely value the department. I value the people that put their lives in harm’s way.” The board then turned to specifics about contracting with United. Response times, cost, and United’s limited role and scope were among drawbacks raised by Interim Chief Hale Fitzgerald.
United formerly covered New Gloucester from Rodman Road in Auburn, not far from the New Gloucester line, Fitzgerald noted. But no longer. United is in Lewiston, on Russell Street on the other side of Bates College. Their service would entail additional dispatch delays as well as longer response time – now an average of two minutes with NGFR.
Contracting with United is an expensive option for what you get, Fitzgerald also suggested. Other towns going that route get “an ambulance that’s not dedicated to their town.” Lisbon was quoted $250,000 in a recent year, and United “wouldn’t guarantee the ambulance would be there. And it wouldn’t be staffed with a paramedic,” he said.
Above all, Fitzgerald emphasized NGFR has cross-trained members who can respond to all hazards: “if it’s an EMS call, they go take care of the patient. If it’s a car accident, they go take care of the victim. If it’s a fire, they go put out the fire.”
United would not meet the full need, Fitzgerald suggested. Only 66 percent of New Gloucester’s call volume involves the ambulance, he said. Of 752 calls last year, 501 were EMS calls, he said. Also, United would provide two staff. NGFR uses three or four members to lift someone up safely; a cardiac arrest with cpr needs at least six.
When it came time for the board to vote on whether to get an informational cost estimate from United, Tammy Donovan said, “I’m not interested. They’re not carrying fire hoses. They’re just running ambulances. So we’re going to lose the other half of it.” Ward’s motion to task the manager and interim chief with getting cost information for town meeting failed 2-3 (Ward and Hathorne in favor; Donovan, Bragdon and Strickler opposed).
Pineland property for sale? Since 2000, Pineland has been not only a major landowner in New Gloucester but a steward, destination, robust economic engine and steadfast community partner. So word of a potential sell-off of significant Pineland holdings caught fire locally.
Resident John Kirby of Town Farm Road said in public comment that he’d heard that Pineland plans to sell as much as 4,000 acres of their land and keep only 550 acres and the business campus. Kirby said it was “very concerning that we might be losing a lot of agricultural land in New Gloucester.” He described a block of 117 acres, including Town Farm field—” a prime piece” of farmland–that he’d heard is for sale for $1.25 million. Kirby hoped Town Farm field and other areas would remain productive farmland.
Echoing concerns about Pineland’s plans, resident Connie Justice commented by letter. “I’ve heard from many sources that the Libra Foundation is preparing to sell thousands of acres of their Pineland land in New Gloucester and Gray. They approached me personally and advised that they will be selling acreage that abuts my property,” she wrote. Justice said she’d also heard that developers and realtors are investigating development possibilities “with large tracts expected to be on the market soon.”
Justice asked the manager and board urgently “to liaise with Pineland and Libra leadership, get a clear picture of their plans, urge them to include the town in planning discussions and share all details with the public.” Justice closed her letter: “This will be a momentous change for our town. It needs to be managed wisely.”
Later, member Peter Bragdon, the board’s liaison to Pineland Farms, sought to reassure the community. He reported that he’d spoken with a Pineland representative earlier in the day. “At this point no property is listed in the town of New Gloucester,” Bragdon said. But there are possibilities of a sale of between 120 and 150 acres in the town, west of the Royal River, he said.
Since the board meeting, area real estate listings now reflect 127 acres for sale off Morse Road in New Gloucester with an asking price of $1,250,000. The listings include maps and aerial photos.
The Pineland representative also indicated that they may be selling additional property in Gray, Bragdon said. Bragdon commented that Merrill Farm, between Mayall Road and Morse Road, has been on and off the market in recent years and might go back on. He thought that property abuts but is not in New Gloucester.
Summing up, Bragdon said, “It’s a big chunk of land but not the numbers that have been going around.” He welcomed reopened communication with Pineland and would continue to reach out. But for now, he wanted to reassure everyone that “there’s no big selloff in New Gloucester at this time.” Chair Dustin Ward and fellow board members discussed putting Pineland’s plans on the March agenda.
According to Pineland Farms’ website, its parent, October Corporation, holds over 5,000 acres of farmland in New Gloucester, Gray, Pownal and North Yarmouth. In New Gloucester, 200 acres comprise the campus and Valley Farm. Properties in Gray include the Equestrian Center at Hill Farm, Wilsondale Farm, and Gillespie Farm.
Updates. In updates, Manager Bill Kerbin said “hopefully, hopefully” New Gloucester will be receiving $242,000 from FEMA in the next couple of weeks for December 2023 storm recovery expenses. Kerbin said that “there’s a lot going on at the federal level,” an apparent reference to the broad federal grant and payment freeze, but he expects the payment will go through.
Kerbin also noted that Greater Portland Council of Governments has completed its traffic study of the Lower Village intersection and MDOT is recommending that the intersection be made a four-way stop. Kerbin plans to first get the reaction of the Public Safety Working Group. “If they approve this, it will therefore come before this board for your approval or further discussion,” said Kerbin. Board members noted significant public interest in the matter and the need for public input and a board vote on it. Kerbin said MDOT is willing to make a presentation to the board “with the pros and cons” of changing the intersection. It is currently a two-way stop.
Question of keeping old ambulance will still go to voters. In another Fire Rescue-related matter, the board declined to reconsider their decision last month to have town meeting voters decide whether to keep the old ambulance as a back-up. Member Tammy Donovan wanted to revisit the topic but failed to marshal support from fellow members. “We’ve made a decision we send it,” said Stephen Hathorne. “We’ve moved this on, and I have no interest in reconsidering.”
Transfer Station building. At a recent workshop with Transfer Station and Public Works staff, the board heard an update on the condition of the Transfer Station building. They used the February 3 meeting to catch the public up on next steps.
A representative from Haskall and Hall, the contractor that had worked on the building most most recently, had no concerns about its structural safety. The company will prepare an estimate for concrete repairs, painting and pressure-washing, ballparked $30,000 for budgeting purposes and an additional $10,000 If the board wants a structural engineer to check the soundness of the floor. The board settled on a tentative budget number of $50,000, since the work would be more than a year out.
Fairgrounds bathroom project estimate. Parks and Rec Director Sarah Rodriguez updated the board on what continue to be elusive project cost estimates that have left next steps unclear. She said she’d gotten informal numbers at a high of $280,000 and a low of $80,000 to $90,000, such a substantial swing as to raise more questions than answers.
Rodriguez sketched an option to pursue a federal matching grant—the same sort that supported construction of the Fairgrounds pavilion and playground, she said. The application requires voter approval and other steps that make this year impracticable, Rodriguez said; also having cost numbers would likely help. She urged getting a solid estimate, in case the work can be done with available funds in the coming year, and if not, to support the grant application.
The board unanimously voted that the manager, Public Works director and Rodriguez use ARPA funds to secure “a good estimate” from a contractor. As with other matters at the February 3 meeting, there’s more to come
Watch the video of the Select Board’s February 3, 2025, meeting at this link. Find contact information for Select Board members and links to meeting agendas, minutes and related documents at this link.
